Stuffing for horse-collars.



Patented Feb. 25,- |902.

v No. 694,|98.

3.11. RUETER.

STUFFING FR HORSE COLLARS.

(Application led lMm'. 14,' 1898.3

(1I-Io Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT BERNHARD n. RUETER, or BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN.

sTuFi-'lNG Foa HORSE-COLLARS.V

SPECICAJJION forming part ef Lettere Patent No. 694,198, dated February25, 1902.

Application filed March 14.-, 1898. Serial No. 673,865. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNHARD H. RUETER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Burlington, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin,and whose post-ofce address is Burlington,Wisconsin, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Stufling for Horse-Collars; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention'relates to horse-collars; and it has for its object toprovide an improved stuffing for the collar with the view of absorbingthe moisture from the face of the collar, thus preserving the form andshape and preventing the leather at the face becoming hard fromabsorption of moisture. One ob- .jection to employing long wool byitself as a stuffing next to the face of horse-collars is that the Wool,while absorbing moisture to a more satisfactory extent than othermaterials, will, however, become matted from the absorption, and thenthe shape or form of the face of the collar is seriously impaired and'the power of the wool to absorb diminished correspondingly to theextent to which it may become matted. The objection to the use of spongealone is that it will not retain its place or position when formed insmall pieces, as it lacks the quality of adhesion, and consequently theshape or form of the face of the collar is impaired. With the View ofovercoming these objections and forming a stuffing material that willpossess the desirable qualities for preservation of the shape or formand the softness of the face of the collar I form a stuffing materialout of wool and particles of sponge intermingled, so that the adhesivequalities of the wool will be availed of to hold the particles of spongein position and the properties of the sponge will be availed of toprevent the Wool becoming matted, the absorbent properties of the twomaterials being availed of to absorb the moisture from the leather alongthe face of the collar and transmit the same to the straw stuffing backof the stuffing material of wool and sponge,

such other advantages as maybev derived the invention consists in thestuffing material of wool and particles of sponge and applied next tothe face of the collar, as hereinafter specied, reference being had tothe accompany ing drawing, illustrating the invention, and in which isrepresented a perspective of a part of a horse-collar with the inventionap= plied thereto. p

In the drawing the numeral l designates a collar of any approved formand well-known general features of construction. This collar is providedwith ordinary stuffing material for the fore-Wale 2 and with a stuffingof straw or other suitable material in the after-Wale at the sideadjacent to the fore-Wale, the other portion of the after-Wale next tothe face 3 of the collar being stuffed with a material composed of wool4, preferably of along staple,and particles of sponge 3, which ispreferably cut, chopped, or picked into small pieces. The wool and theparticles of sponge are intermingled, so that the adhesivo qualities ofthe wool hold the particles of spon ge in place and the particles ofsponge will prevent the Wool from matting.J The stuffing material thusformed and applied absorbs the .moisture which the leather facereceivesfrom the horse and transmits this moisture to the strawstuing atthe rear, which in turn absorbs the moisture, thus takingit away fromthe face of the collar, and in that way preventing the e IOO I ing isformed for the sponge and Wool by the` straw stuffing at the rear, andthe necessary firmness is thus imparted to the after-Wale at the sideadjacent to the fore-Wale and an economical stuffing provided.

It is obvious that Where the stuffing to the collar as such is carriedtoa pad over the neck the pad becomes practicallya part of the collar,and the stufng is of the same relative Value as when applied to the bodyor Wales of the collar.

Having described my invention and set A forth its merits, what I claimis- 1. The improved stung for horseco1lars consisting of a compositionof matter composed of particles of sponge and bers of Wool intermingledso as to bring the fibers of Wool between the particles of sponge tohold the BERNHARD H. RUETER.

vWitnesses CLIFFORD O. MOE, B. BREHM.

